Countdown_LitRPG Series

by Michael Atamanov

  So, I walked into the cargo bay and cautiously set my boots on the asteroid. I was no longer lashed to Uline, and my space suit had no magnetic soles. It was clear that there was artificial gravitation near the shuttle, so I didn’t have to worry. But further away, there was quite a high risk I might fall off the asteroid into space. The crevasse was around 2 miles from the Shiamiru, but I was planning to ride one of the remaining levitators there. I placed the flying board horizontally, turned it on and tried to snap my soles into the bright yellow pilot’s circle.

  But no:

  Attention! Due to Prospector class limitations, you cannot use this mode of transportation.

  What the hell?! This was just a skateboard! I could skate pretty dang well in the real world. When I was still in high school, I even learned to do all kinds of tricks to impress girls. Could I really not use those skills in the game?

  But the game rules were strict and unyielding. “May not pilot starships or any kind of flying vehicle,” meant exactly that — any type, including levitators.

  I got very discouraged by that and very nearly gave up. I almost banged on the wall of the Shiamiru to ask them to let me back inside. Could I really walk two miles on the uneven surface of the asteroid? It was covered with craters, cracks and steep cliffs! Plus, gravity would be so low that one false move could send me flying into space until I died of suffocation.

  But my eye caught on a large, many-wheeled armored all-terrain vehicle. It was the heavy loader Basha and Vasha had ridden back to the Shiamiru. Carefully approaching the alien craft and climbing up on its front wheel, I studied its control system.

  Electronics skill increased to level nineteen!

  Electronics skill increased to level twenty!

  Not too complicated. To my eye, even simpler than in a terrestrial automobile. One button turns on power. And the control column sets vector and speed. There was a button to increase floor magnetism for those with the special boots. Just the thing for asteroids with weak gravitation. It had a knob that lowered supports for loading. And a handle that... I don’t know... ah, written right next to it... released the crane. I wouldn’t be needing that. This button turned on autopilot. You could set a dot on the display, and it would go straight there. Nothing too complicated all in all. All that remained was to look at skill requirements:

  Tiar 62 heavy loader (standard equipment of the Shiamiru cargo shuttle)

  To use this loader, character class must be: Heavy Robot Operator, Mechanic-Driver, or the following statistic requirements apply: Intelligence 16, Agility 10, Strength 12

  Attention! This loader has been damaged and repaired. Movement speed reduced by 4%

  Great! I had the skills to use it. There was no lock on the door, so I walked right inside and plunked down in the driver's seat. The power button didn’t work right away for some reason. I had to push down hard with my finger, even slam it with my fist before the instrument panel lit up.

  Break-in skill increased to level thirteen!

  Break-in skill increased to level fourteen!

  Break-in skill increased to level fifteen!

  Electronics skill increased to level twenty-one!

  You have reached level twenty-five!

  You have received three skill points! (total points accumulated: six)

  Congratulations! You now have two more skill slots!!!

  Despite all the positive messages, I was afraid. Why had Break-in leveled so much? What had I broken into? The only explanation that came to mind was that the loader had some kind of antitheft function, and that explained why it was hard to turn on. So, I had to press the button in the right pattern, maybe even holding it or varying pressure.

  Also, I suddenly realized that the twin brothers Basha and Vasha might not like that I had taken their loader. Especially if I died far away from the shuttle and left it a few miles away. And although there was an identical loader next to the ship, and one of the brothers could take a levitator to collect the vehicle, they wouldn’t exactly be patting me on the head for stealing and losing their loader.

  But it was too late to change course. The ATV was dashing at a lively pace over the holes and cracks. A few minutes later, I saw a landmark in the distance — a strange massive device on the very edge of the crevasse, which had been used to lower the drill. As far as I understood, it was a “gravitation crane,” a device that created a zone of artificial gravitation at a certain distance to move objects. That was the method the Geckho used to move ore containers and whatnot around the asteroid, where lifting and lowering containers by traditional methods was impossible due to the weak gravity.

  I stopped the loader thirty feet from the precipice, tying a free end of cord to a metal clamp on the vehicle just in case. I tied the other end to my carbine strap. After that, I moved step by step, very carefully, even laying on my belly at the very end and crawling the last few feet.

  Due to the very bright sun and lack of atmosphere, everything was very contrasting. The cliffs around me were bright, practically white and below me was impenetrable blackness. It took my eyes three minutes to get used to it and be able to see. But even after that, I saw only glimmering on the stones, blackness and a few dark spots of a different color. That must have been the drill.

  But then I saw movement...

  Eagle Eye skill increased to level thirty-four!

  Something flickered past just for a moment. After that, I spent another few minutes staring down into the monotonous the black hole as the sun glimmered off the tiny crystals. I even took out my IR-lens and tried to use it, but that only made matters worse, so I put it back in my inventory.

  More movement! This time, I had an approximate idea of what to expect, so I got a better view of the small strange object as it flickered past the drill and raced further down the dark crevasse. It was small, approximately the size of a basketball and flew at massive speed.

  Now I was ready to identify the weird thingy with my IR-lens. After three minutes, I got my chance. There it went! Got it!!!

  Small Relict guard drone.

  Hmm... That didn’t clear up too much. Although it did confirm that the underground base was made by the mysterious Relicts. It was also valuable to know that the object was artificial, served to patrol and provided defense. I wish I knew how many there were... Hopefully, I could also think up a way of taking it down.

  I understood that trying to shoot it was pointless and even stupid. The drone moved too fast. I’d never hit it. Also, which of my weapons could damage a metal drone? Certainly not the air rifle! I mean, it was intended for use only against animals and unarmored targets like centaurs. It just could not harm a metal robot. I’d just draw its attention. Shooting with the shotgun at this distance was not an option either. And it probably couldn’t pierce the drone’s armor either. But if it detected me, that meant certain death...

  I supposed I had to admit I couldn’t do this alone and ask the Geckho for help. I activated my radio and told them what I’d seen. Uline advised me to return to the Shiamiru and wait for reinforcements. The twin brothers agreed. Basha just added:

  “You could try to target it with a laser using your good vision, then we could shoot it with homing rockets. But you'd need to hold the laser on the target for a couple minutes for the homing to work. You said you only see it for a second at a time, so it sounds impossible...”

  Would you like to take the skill Targeting?

  I hadn’t been offered a new skill in quite a while. I’d even grown unaccustomed to them. Targeting? That might have been interesting for an eagle-eyed Prospector in a combat group. But I didn’t rush the choice, my interest piqued by the Geckho's words:

  “Basha, wait. Do you mean to say that you and your brother have weaponry, and the problem is only holding the drone long enough to target and destroy it?”

  “That’s exactly right,” Uline answered instead. “High-speed projectiles from a Geckho plasma-grenade launcher can blow any enemy to shreds, regardless of armor. But th
e target has to remain visible, or at least have someone pointing a laser at it for the grenades to home and hit.”

  Hold up! I was struck by an interesting idea of how to stop the speeding drone long enough to target it.

  “Do you think the gravitation crane would be strong enough to slow down a small drone?”

  There was no reply to my seemingly fairly simple question for quite some time, and I even thought I might have said something stupid. But then Uline, not hiding her astonishment, answered:

  “Gnat, these guys are saying you’re a genius! The force of the crane’s gravitational field can be regulated. And they could make it so the small drone wouldn’t merely slow down but come to a complete stop! I’ll fly out on the levitator right now. Gnat! I’ll never forgive myself if I don’t play some part in this!”

  Then Basha Tushihh’s voice rang out my earpiece:

  “Wait, Uline. You’re not the only one that wants to go. Fame will increase even if we don't manage to catch the guard drone. But if we do, and we’re the first to enter a Relict base, they’ll hear our names on every news channel in the galaxy! So, to hell with the safety instructions, my brother and I are also moving our respawn point to the Shiamiru and joining Gnat!”

  * * *

  When I took the heavy loader, I guess I had nothing to worry about. My companions didn’t even remark on it. They were too distracted preparing for the unusual combat operation. Both large Geckho twins clipped some huge backpack-like devices over their space suits. Those must have been the heavy plasma-grenade launchers that could destroy the guard drone. On each brother’s right shoulder, there was a short three-barreled turret that turned in syncopation with their helmet. There was a flexible pleated hose as wide as my arm running from the backpack to the turrets — either the round feeder or a power cable.

  “We could try without laser targeting, because the target will be held in the gravity field, but a laser will make sure it hits. Here’s the targeting system. Have a look. It’s probably perfect for a Prospector.” With these words, Vasha handed me a strange device that looked like a pair of large army binoculars with a distance measurer and a whole set of tubes and foldable antennas:

  Targeting system (standard element of the Geckho infantry plasma-grenade launching systems Avashi, Avashi-II and Avashi Shock)

  Can set targets for up to six systems.

  Minimum acquisition time: 4 seconds. Target duration: 3 minutes.

  Homing-grenade radius: 5500 feet. Plasma installation radius: 800 feet.

  Class requirements: Saboteur, Spy, Sentry, Grenadier, Prospector, or Shock Trooper.

  Statistic requirements: Perception 15, Intelligence 15

  Hmm... I could use this object, and I didn’t even need the Targeting skill. Nevertheless, I read the skill description:

  Targeting. Determines proficiency with target selection, marking, acquisition and management systems for individual or group applications. This skill allows the player to receive experience for a marked target destroyed by allies. Higher skill level will not increase this experience but does speed up target acquisition, increase hit chance and unlock more advanced equipment.

  There could hardly be a skill in the game more appropriate for my Gnat. Help the whole group in battle, increasing the chance that all my allies hit, and get some experience from every kill? Want! Want!! Want!!!

  You have taken the skill Targeting level 1.

  So, I was lying on the very edge of the crevasse giving directions to Vasha, who was sitting in the gravitation crane and skillfully pulling the handles:

  “Lower, lower... To the right! Stop! Down more!”

  I had sacrificed my bright flashlight to mark the epicenter of the gravity field, which Vasha was now carefully lowering into the narrow forking crevasse. We started lowering it right after the security drone flew by, and we planned to have the light in place three minutes before it would return.

  The flashlight was approximately half way down when I saw a metal ball in its light. The drone?! So early? Clearly, the bright moving light had drawn its attention, and it was rushing in to figure things out. The robot guard didn’t attack but did get closer, hovering ten feet away from the bright light.

  “Stop! It's here!” I whispered barely audibly, but I immediately realized that I was being too cautious. Sound doesn’t carry in a vacuum, so the Relict drone had no way of hearing me. “Wait, Vasha, don’t rush it... It’s getting closer to the flashlight all on its own... Let it come closer...”

  It was a thrilling experience, like when you’re fishing and see the bobber flutter. But fishing is generally quite relaxing. My anxiety level was off the charts, and my heart was thrashing in my ribcage like a terrified bird, slamming into my ribs.

  “A little bit more... Get ready... Turn gravitation to full!!! Got it!!! We caught the bastard!!!”

  Fame increased to 17.

  Targeting skill increased to level two!

  The drone was instantly pulled toward the bright flashlight, which immediately went out. Either it broke in the impact or was crushed by the sudden increase in gravitation. I heard the Geckho screaming in exhilaration in my earphones. Their unbearably loud shouting even had painful ultrasonic notes. I was also screaming with my full throat, though. And why not? It worked!

  A minute passed, then another. The deadly drone was hovering helpless midway down the crevasse, unable to move. I calmed down and took out the targeting system. The twin brothers started to prepare their weapons. I didn’t have any experience targeting, but Uline helped me adjust the settings to detect and synchronize with the two plasma-grenade launching systems.

  So, I was lying on the edge of the crevasse again, this time carefully setting a distance and target. The drone was five hundred seventy-nine feet away. My device told me the target was eighteen inches long. A countdown ticked by, then a colored frame clamped down around the trapped ball.

  “Got it! Target acquired! It won’t get away now!” Both of the twin brothers launched their plasma grenades practically vertically upward.

  The rocket-propelled homing explosives left a trail that evaporated almost instantly. I wasn’t able to track them in the vacuum. But at any rate, the missiles must have turned and raced down the crevasse because, a few seconds later, I heard a series of explosions from below.

  Targeting skill increased to level three!

  Targeting skill increased to level four!

  You have reached level twenty-six!

  You have received three skill points! (total points accumulated: nine)

  I first realized the target had been destroyed based on the sharp increase in experience and leveling up. After that, I visually confirmed it. Instead of an intact spherical drone, there was a formless blob of small compact debris.

  “Me first!” As soon as I said the target was destroyed, Uline Tar started off, racing practically vertically down the crevasse on the levitator to the Relict base.

  That rush and drive to enter history at all costs by being first to enter the secret Relict base played a nasty joke on the trader. The crane’s powerful gravitational field was still on, and she was pulled into it along with her flying surfboard. Vasha, Basha and I didn’t manage to stop her before it was too late. All I heard was a cry of pain and despair that rang in my ears for several seconds.

  “What should we do now, Gnat?” the giants asked me. I answered that it would look bad if we went alone without Uline, and we should wait for her to respawn. After all, she wanted to be among the first to enter the mysterious base.

  “Good choice, very noble,” Basha praised me. “After all, we are the only four left of the whole crew. We worked together, and the reward should go to all four of us.”

  Vasha Tushihh sat back down in the seat of the gravity crane, raised the field and turned it off, then the metal debris, little bits of stone and undifferentiated fleshy bits descended slowly to the asteroid’s surface.

  Then, I saw more movement at the bottom of the crevasse! Another
drone! If it hadn’t been for Uline’s rush, all four of us would now be at the bottom of the crevasse and probably would have been killed by this second guard.

  We did the same thing as before. I helped lower the gravity crane, this time using a signal flare from a Geckho emergency kit as a light source. The flare would work in a vacuum, and even under water, so I could see the center of the gravitational field and give directions to the crane operator.

  Not even a minute later, the light source caught the attention of the guard drone. And our strange fishing maneuver started again.

  “Don’t rush it. It's getting nearer on its own... Just a bit further... Alright, turn it up!!!”

  Targeting skill increased to level five!

  Eagle Eye skill increased to level thirty-five!

  After prolonged discussion, we decided not to destroy this drone. Initially, I had suggested we shoot just to get experience and skills, but both Geckho were against it. Functioning Relict technology was of huge interest to scientists so they wanted to capture this guard drone intact. It would certainly be worth more this way than a lump of twisted and melted debris. I agreed with their conclusion, so we decided to keep it as a priceless gift for Captain Uraz Tukhsh. Basha drove the loader back to the shuttle and returned ten minutes later with a metal container, bringing Uline with him after she respawned on the ship.

  The drone was held down tight. We lowered the ore container to it very carefully and maneuvered it inside. The doors closed and locked, but we didn’t turn off the gravitational field, just leaving the container hovering with its dangerous cargo until the captain returned. After this complicated and dangerous loading job, both twin brothers leveled up to sixty-four almost at the same time.

  But then there was a hitch. It was entirely possible that there were more drones down there, but no one wanted to sacrifice their own hide to find out. I couldn’t see any more movement from up here. But that didn’t mean anything. The guard could have been waiting in ambush inside the underground complex, or hidden unseen in the darkness of the crevasse.